Not Quite Like the Movies
by Settiai
Summary: After they had been on the island for a month, Hurley knew that Hollywood had lied.


Title: Not Quite Like the Movies

Author: Settiai

Disclaimer: "Lost" and other related characters are all properties of ABC, Bad Robot Productions, and other related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.

Rating: PG

Summary: After they had been on the island for a month, Hurley knew that Hollywood had lied.

Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.

----------

By the time they had been stranded on the island for a month, Hurley was certain of three things: they had apparently found the only island in the world inhabited by monsters or dinosaurs or aliens or whatever it was that was out there in the jungle, every single one of them was pretty much screwed, and Hollywood had lied every single time they made it seem like being shipwrecked (or, in as the case might be, planewrecked) was fun, or romantic, or amusing, or anything else that didn't involve liberal use of the word "suck."

He should have known better than to try explaining the last part to anyone.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shannon asked, shooting Hurley a look that made him want to sink into the sand.

If he wanted to be honest, it wasn't entirely his fault. He had no way of knowing that Shannon and Boone were sitting on the other side of the rocks, listening to him… pretty much have a conversation with himself. It had seemed like a good idea at the time to try passing it off like he had known they were there and had been talking to them the entire time.

Until Shannon had given him the "just how long have you been out in the sun?" look that she usually reserved for people she was really irritated with, that is.

"All I'm saying is that Hollywood always makes it look like crashing on some deserted island in the middle of the Pacific is some sort of dream come true," Hurley explained for the third time.

Boone barely held back a snort of laughter, and Shannon merely kept giving him that look.

"You think I'm making this up?" Hurley asked, raising an eyebrow. "Name one movie set on a desert island that doesn't make it seem like the best thing in the world."

"Name one that does," Boone shot back. Beside him, Shannon rolled her eyes before suddenly glancing up at Hurley with a scrutinizing look on her face.

Hurley didn't even hesitate. "_Six Days Seven Nights_," he said instantly. "_The Blue Lagoon_. _Swept Away_."

"_Cast Away_," Shannon said suddenly.

Boone turned and gave her a confused look, one that Hurley knew was probably mirrored by his own face. "Huh?" he asked.

"You asked us to name a movie that didn't make it seem like being trapped on an island was a good thing," she explained, a hint of impatience in her voice. "_Cast Away_ wasn't like that."

Hurley thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think it counts," he said slowly. "I mean, it's still got a love story in it."

"It's Hollywood," Shannon said, rolling her eyes again as she spoke. "They don't believe in making movies that don't have some sort of love story in them."

"Still…"

"What about the _Jurassic Park_ movies?" she pressed on. "None of them made it seem like being trapped on an island was a good thing. Of course, that was because of the dinosaurs… but still."

Hurley shook his head. "They still had romance."

Shannon gave him an incredulous look. "Romance? If you're talking about that little mention of there being something between Alan and Ellie in the first one, that doesn't count."

"What about Ian and Sarah in the second?" Hurley shot back. "Or Alan and Billy in the third?"

"Subtext doesn't count," Shannon protested.

Hurley blinked. "You saw the subtext?"

Shannon rolled her eyes. "The pope himself would have seen that subtext," she said, giving Hurley the "why am I stuck here with an idiot like you?" look that that he was much more used to getting from her.

"If we're going to talk about movies, could we at least talk about one that doesn't involve giant man-eating dinosaurs?" Boone broke in suddenly, joining in the conversation for the first time in several minutes.

Hurley and Shannon both trailed off, and the three of them stood there in uneasy silence for a moment. Almost unconsciously, they glanced toward the jungle, and for several seconds it looked like the conversation had come to an abrupt end.

"Since we're talking about movies," Shannon said suddenly, "what was the last one you saw in theaters before the crash?"

Boone turned and gave her a puzzled look. "What?"

"Not you," she said exasperatedly. "Hurley."

Hurley glanced back at her, pleasantly surprised that the conversation wasn't over. It had been awhile since he'd been able to just sit back and discuss meaningless stuff like movies, and he'd forgotten just how much fun it was. He just hoped he didn't have a huge, dopey grin on his face.

"The last movie I saw?" he repeated, mentally reviewing the past several months. "I guess that would have been that late showing of _Return of the King_, back in February. "I meant to go see the new Harry Potter movie, but I just didn't have the time."

Shannon shook her head. "_Harry Potter_ and _Lord of the Rings_," she said, glancing over at Boone. "How much would you like to bet he's into _Star Wars_ and _Star Trek_ too?"

"Well, you'd be the one to know," Boone muttered, shaking his head as he abruptly started walking away. "Come on, Shannon, let's leave Hurley to… whatever it was he was doing. Unless you want to "

Shannon gave Hurley a brief smile, something that he was unaccustomed to seeing on her face. "Personally, I think Arwen must have knocked Glorfindel over the head and stolen his horse in the first one," she said softly, giving him a conspiratory wink as she brushed past him in order to catch up with Boone.

Hurley froze, a startled look on his face as he watched them walk away. "She's read the books?" he said, shocked. "Dude, I never would have guessed."

What Boone had said right before he left suddenly clicked in Hurley's mind, and the expression on his face only grew even more surprised. "She's into sci-fi and fantasy?" he muttered, watching Boone and Shannon grow smaller as they walked further and further away. "Her? That's… weird."

He stood there, staring at them for just a little longer, before shaking his head and turning away. "I wonder if she's a Browncoat…"


End file.
